10.5M adult Filipinos jobless in 2nd quarter

More adult Filipinos went jobless in the last three months as the number of those who either resigned or were retrenched rose, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The rate of joblessness in the second quarter worsened to 23.2 percent or an estimated 10.5 million adults from 19.1 percent or nine million adults in the first quarter of the year, results of the SWS survey conducted from June 5 to 8 showed.

Net optimism over the availability of jobs (percent of more jobs minus percent of fewer jobs) also declined.

SWS said 36 percent of respondents expected more jobs in the next 12 months while 19 percent expected fewer jobs, resulting in a “fair” +17 net optimism on job availability, down from “high” +20 (38 percent saying more jobs minus 18 percent saying fewer jobs) in March.

Survey sample

The percentage of those who said the number of available jobs would stay the same was 33 percent, from 31 percent in March.

The survey, interviewed 1,200 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points. It was first published in BusinessWorld.

Since May 2005, joblessness was above 20 percent except on four instances: March’s 19.1 percent, September 2010’s 18.9 percent, December 2007’s 17.5 percent and March 2006’s 19.9 percent. Joblessness peaked in March 2012 at 34.4 percent and hit a record low of 5.4 percent in February 1998.

Under the Aquino administration, average joblessness in the country was 22.5 percent in 2010, 23.6 percent in 2011, 28.8 percent in 2012, 25.2 percent in 2013 and 25.4 percent in 2014.

The nationwide joblessness rate in June includes 11 percent (estimated 4.7 million adults) who resigned, from 7 percent in March; 3 percent (estimated 1.3 million adults) first-time job seekers, from 4 percent in March; and 10 percent who were retrenched (estimated 4.4 million adults), from 8 percent in March.

Those who were retrenched included those whose contracts were not renewed (6 percent), those whose employers closed shop (2 percent) and those who were laid off (2 percent).

By gender, joblessness rose among women, from 27.6 percent in March to 31.3 percent in June and among men, from 12.2 percent in March to 16.9 percent in June.

Age groups

Across age groups, joblessness was 55 percent (from 50 percent) among aged 18 to 24; 29 percent (from 28 percent) among aged 25 to 34; 20 percent (from 16 percent) among aged 35 to 44; and 11 percent (from 8 percent) among aged 45 and over.

The definition of SWS joblessness covers respondents aged 18 and over who are without jobs at present and are looking for work. This excludes those not looking for a job such as housewives, students and retired or disabled persons.

The government uses the term unemployment in the Labor Force Survey (LFS) to refer to persons 15 years and over and who are not working, looking for work and available for work. It includes those currently available for work but are not seeking work for reasons such as waiting for results of previous job applications, temporary illness, bad weather, waiting for rehire, and feeling tired or believing that no work is available.

The government’s latest LFS puts the official unemployment rate at 6.4 percent in April.—Inquirer Research